Vietnam receives information on soldiers’ mass graves

Hanoi (VNA) – “The Ride of the Brothers” (ROtB), a US non-governmental organisation, has handed over dossiers on five sites believed to house mass graves of Vietnamese soldiers who died during the Vietnam war to the Vietnam Ministry of National Defence.

Accordingly, each grave is the resting place of hundreds of soldiers, including 400 in Que Son valley in the central province of Quang Nam; 350 in Dau Tieng district, in the southern province of Tay Ninh; 156 in Cam Lo district and 203 in Khe Sanh town, Huong Hoa district, in central Quang Tri province; and more than 600 others in Long Khanh town, in the southern province of Dong Nai.

Besides this, the organisation also informed the Vietnamese side about the locations of the remains of two US soldiers who went missing in Khe Sanh, the Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper reported.

Speaking at the hand-over ceremony on April 26, RoTB President Edwrd F. Lewis said he himself compiled such dossiers after collecting information from many US war veterans.

He expressed his hope to help Vietnam with cutting-edge equipment in order to serve in the search for martyrs’ remains.

In reply, a representative from the Vietnamese ministry said Vietnam welcomes and receives all information and equipment provided by the organisation, noting that Vietnam will make all-out efforts to partner with the US to search for missing US soldiers in the country.

The country has now opened almost all sensitive areas such as along the border and in the highlands to make it easier for the work, the officer added.

The ROtB was founded by Edward F. Lewis, a US veteran who took part in the Vietnam war, with the aim of raising funds for disadvantaged US war veterans, especially those who are homeless.

Through “The Return” programme, the organisation aims to provide competent agencies with information about mass graves of Vietnamese soldiers and destinations where remains of US soldiers would be found.-US